DEI Is Not the Real Problem: the Rigged System Is

The conservative chorus is deafening: DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) must be scrapped. Following the lead of the Trump administration, prominent voices advocate for the dismantling of this anti-meritocratic framework that constrains both public and private bureaucracies.

Their message is unequivocal: deregulate, unleash markets, and allow merit to prevail. This narrative is particularly appealing to a right that is frustrated with "social engineering" and "woke ideology."

But what if this knee-jerk rejection is as dogmatic as the progressives DEI obsession? When we strip away the jargon and excess, DEI brings to light issues that conservatives should be concerned about. Issues that global capitalism has exacerbated rather than resolved.

I am not a fan of quotas or sensitivity training. I cringe at sanctimonious lectures and DEI's undermining of competence for the sake of appearances. However, completely rejecting these initiatives overlooks why they resonate, particularly with Gen Z and Gen X.

The mainstream right, enamoured with free markets, fails to see the larger issue: unchecked globalism has eroded community, stability, and purpose, values conservatives claim to champion. Despite its flaws, DEI to some extent represents a clumsy attempt to address that void. Instead of dismissing it outright, we should perhaps strive to create something better.

The Broken Promises of Capitalism

The data doesn't lie. In Britain, young adults are half as likely to own homes as their parents were at the same age. Median household income has barely changed since the 1990s, while housing costs have skyrocketed.

Conservatives bang on about market freedom, but what about the freedom to create a meaningful life? Gen Z and Gen X are not lazy or entitled; they are disillusioned. Take a 25-year-old Zoomer, burdened by student debt and working part time at Blank Street Coffee because their biomedical science degree led nowhere, facing rents that make homeownership a distant dream.

Alternatively, consider a 30-something Gen X parent, still scarred by the 2008 crash, juggling the responsibilities of children and ageing parents while wages stagnate and corporations prioritise share buybacks. The right promotes GDP growth and deregulation as a means to stimulate an industrial boom. That may be true, but will it address the housing crisis or the influx of low-wage immigrant labour that, in low-skill sectors, undermines British workers?

The right's answer is meritocracy: eliminate DEI and allow the best to rise. While this approach is noble, it is also naive. Nepotism, elite networks, and credential inflation mean that "merit" often rewards the well-connected rather than the truly capable.

Education, once heralded as the great equaliser, now burdens graduates with debt and offers diminishing returns; over 40% of U.S. graduates are underemployed a decade after graduation.

Although DEI can be heavy-handed, it acknowledges a fundamental truth: the system doesn’t work for a lot of people. A conservative vision should not only address the symptoms but also strive to create a society where duty, rather than mere competition, defines success.

Women, Work, and the DEI Instinct

The overlooked truth isn’t just that women, especially younger ones, drive DEI- it’s why. Over 80% of HR professionals in the UK are women, many from Gen Z or Gen X, leading the charge for corporate inclusion. Historically, women have prioritised harmony and safety - instincts developed through nurturing roles.

However, today's reality is stark: delayed families, unaffordable housing, and a biological clock that conflicts with economic pressures. Marriage and children are frequently postponed until after the age of 30, while homeownership remains an elusive dream.

What if DEI initiatives serve as a form of transference, creating a corporate "family" when real families feel out of reach? If society cannot provide stability, why not strive to make the workplace safe, inclusive, and harmonious?

Critics on the right mock this approach, but they overlook the fundamental issue: globalised capital has deprived women of what truly matters, and DEI represents their imperfect solution.

Furthermore, society tends to glorify women as employees while sidelining those who choose motherhood. A genuine conservative vision would honour all women - mothers, caregivers, and professionals - by making their choices viable, rather than forcing them to pursue corporate ladders for survival.

Community Over Chaos

High living costs compel both parents to work, leaving children in state-run breakfast clubs and after-school schemes. This isn't freedom; it's the state usurping the role of families as parents lose precious time to nurture their own children.

For family men, this situation is particularly challenging. Your children grow up amidst this chaos, and your ability to provide stability is undermined by market forces. The focus of DEI on identity - whether racial, gender, or otherwise - may appear to be pandering (and it often is), but it also represents a desperate attempt to find belonging in a world where markets reduce everything to mere numbers.

Gen Z's preoccupation with identity is not the root problem; rather, it is a symptom of a society that is adrift. Conservatives could channel this energy toward fostering national pride, local loyalty, or a shared sense of purpose, instead of allowing market forces to keep us fragmented.

Stability, Not Just Growth

Policies such as tax breaks for working mothers may seem appealing, but they reinforce a system that penalises women who choose to stay at home. Conservatives should advocate for tax relief for single-income families, not just dual-earner households, to ensure that motherhood remains a genuine choice.

While corporate DEI initiatives often overpromise - since diversity alone will not resolve inequality- the underlying principle is sound: businesses must prioritise serving society, not just their shareholders. The right's unwavering faith in free markets overlooks how corporations often evade this responsibility, prioritising short-term profits over long-term sustainability.

A conservative reexamination would eliminate the excesses of DEI, avoiding tokenism and guilt trips, while focusing on providing individuals with a stake in the system. This approach can be termed economic patriotism: companies prosper when communities thrive. This perspective surpasses the left's nanny-state DEI and Conservative Inc’s laissez-faire dogma.

The Contrarian Call

Yes, DEI is a mess: bloated, preachy, and often unjust. However, dismantling it without a strategic plan reflects the right's own groupthink, as inflexible as the left's dogmas. Don't get me wrong; I'm not defending quotas or HR lectures. But dismissing DEI without addressing its underlying causes is a lazy approach. The failures of globalism, alienation, inequality, and cultural decay fuel DEI's appeal, particularly among Zoomers, Gen X, and the women who are shaping it.

Young men, this is your call to lead. Rebuild your communities, stand firm in your values, and prioritise duty over greed. The knee-jerk right's obsession with deregulation will not resolve our issues. Instead, we should embrace the valid principles of DEI—such as belonging, fairness, and stability - principles that women rightly advocate for, even if they are sometimes badly misdirected.

We need a society where markets serve people, not the other way around - where duty takes precedence over greed and community prevails over chaos. Gen Z, Gen X, and women deserve more than woke platitudes or blind worship of the market.

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Next Issue: "The Quiet Confidence Pattern," 27th May 2025